Shark Bait
by The Silent Dreamcatcher
Summary: Itachi Uchiha is a young merman who was exiled for a crime he didn't commit and only wants one thing, to find a place for himself in the world. On his long journey he meets the sharkman Kisame and is forced into a struggling alliance to complete both their goals. But first they need to move the wall of glass that separates them from the ocean... and eachother.
1. Prologue

Shark Bait.

Prologue.

Stupid fish, swimming around completely oblivious to the hooks stuck through the pieces of bread they were going for… Itachi chuckled evilly when he plucked one of the fish off the hook just when the fishermen started reeling it in. He didn't usually eat fish, partially being one himself, but he was hungry damnit and these little ones were bite-size so it didn't bother him too much. The boat above him started to wobble, indicating a struggle of sorts, and he dove behind a large rock in the shallow water just before a fat man in green fishing trousers and boots sewn to them fell into the water. Luckily the water was a bit mirky so he had time to pull his long black tail to himself before he was noticed.

"Hmm, time to move to deeper water…" He mumbled to himself before swimming off in the opposite direction. He quickly forgot about the fishermen as he sped towards the deep, swimming along the sandy bottom near the coast. He loved this, the patterns the sun made on the grey seabed, the way his shadow changed over every dent and ridge. He spread his arms, easily gliding on the flexible fins that connected the length of his arms to his torso. The black scales of his fins and tail made a beautiful contrast to his ivory skin, and it allowed him to be very hard to notice, should he lie still on the sand.

He tilted his head up to drink in the last of the magically twisting rays of sun before diving into the steep drop in the ocean floor. Suddenly all the lights were gone and he was engulfed in black nothingness, and still he loved it. Pressing his arms to his sides and sweeping out powerfully with his tail he shot down through the water. Small fish lit up around him, trying to catch even smaller prey, they danced around him and formed a wonderful blur of lights. The steep bottom flattened out horizontally a bit, and he'd reached the lowest point of the coral reefs he'd been swimming over for a while. Immediately countless little fishes in all the colors of the rainbow swam to him and started cleaning his fins and tail, he didn't mind giving them their daily meal. Besides, it left him squeaky clean!

The little sun that came through here was fading, indicating that night was falling. He'd have to find a place to sleep before the carnivorous hunters came out. He could handle most, of course, being of a higher intelligence and all, but there were some not even he could handle. And he didn't want to risk anything, even though his kingdom was close by, he was under no illusion that they would help him, should he have a shark on his tail. Exile was exile. He didn't exist to them anymore. The first weeks had been agony, he'd always had a perfectly easy life; food, shelter, anything he wanted or needed would be provided for him. He couldn't take care of himself if his life depended on it. Well, eventually he learned who was friend and who was foe… and who was food.

And ever since then he'd been following the same routine, swimming around in the shallow waters looking for fishermen who would provide him with food. So what if they didn't catch anything that way, humans shouldn't meddle with the sea anyway. And he knew they did, every year him and his little brother would swim out to the nearest whale breeding gulfs and listen to them sing for hours. But the last few years there were fewer and fewer whales and it was the human's fault, no other species had so little respect for any life form lower than them. Though the fishermen were usually incredibly stupid, he wondered how the race survived… some must be smarter that the fish-cursing idiots.

And then, when he'd eaten all he needed and pissed them off greatly he would ride the waves at the coast. Sometimes a surfer would see him but he wasn't worried, he was faster than their boats ever would be, and no one would believe them anyway. Today he hadn't had time though, he woke too late now that he'd finally found a comfy place to sleep. And after that he would just swim idly, looking for anything interesting, and then go to sleep. He'd found a hidden spot between two gigantic coral trees, it was closed off at all sides except one and he used a large tentacle of a dead tree to close of the hole once he was in. A lot of the little fishes caught on when the predators couldn't get through, so he never slept alone.

Slowly and gently he made his way through the 9ft pillar corals, making sure not to get stung by the poisonous kinds, and worked his way down the path he accidentally made the first time he swam through. Back then he'd been so awestruck he didn't look out and didn't know how vulnerable the branches were. When he reached the opening of his hiding place he stopped in his tracks… something was obscuring the entrance. It looked a bit like a cross between coral and a rock; he placed his hand on it, it was squishy. Damn, a chameleon octopus, that was the third time this week. He gently pulled the camouflaged hunter to the side, even though it was about half his size, those tentacles could be dangerous. The highly intelligent being and him had formed some sort of a truce so he wasn't really worried.

And surely, as soon as he was inside a surge of fish followed him; sadly, most got snared by smaller predators that came out early. The octopus ensnared a backwards swimming puffing nautilus and swam away. He'd been following the nautilus when he was bored for a while now, and was a bit sad that it had to serve as food for his only other acquaintance. Itachi'd always been fascinated by octopi and squids, he knew all there was to know about them and spend hours and hours telling his brother the most fantastic tales. That was what bothered him most about his exile; he would never see his little brother again. The kid was only twelve and he'd practically raised him since he was six years old and the little squirm was born, god knows he needed him; his parents were too busy ruling their little golden kingdom to ever pay any attention to him.

He pulled the 'door' to his hideout closed and lay down to try and sleep. Maybe he could sneak in sometime, he still had to keep his promise of taking the kid to see the vampire squid from hell and the whales would be returning soon. Or maybe he could go with the whales, see where they went all year, maybe he could learn to sing like that too someday…

When sleep finally took him he dreamt of deep sea songs sung by the red horror that hid in the depth of his subconscious and he dreamt of Sasuke, he always dreamt of his little brother.


	2. Chapter One

Shark Bait.

Chapter One.

Pain. Why was there pain? There was a giant golden wall around the castle, no one was supposed to be able to come in… and if they did there would be a dozen guards on the way to his room… so why was there pain? His tail hurt, as if someone bit him, and Itachi smelled blood in the water, his blood. Wait…He wasn't in the castle anymore… and he had to fight! He had to wake up! WAKE UP! WAKE UP NOW! With a start he woke completely and grabbed the knife he hid behind a rock in case he would be attacked and struck out to the red water in front of him. He cut something, and it immediately gnashed at his wrist with row after row of sharp teeth, teeth made or killing. He screamed and slammed his other hand into the thing's head to try and make it let go, but to no avail. In complete panic he ripped his hand from the others bite and tore his own flesh. The water was so red now; he knew larger predators were coming towards the smell, but couldn't focus. He was losing too much blood, and those teeth were coming his way again.

Something grabbed his arm from the other side while his vision started to turn black; a vice clamped around his wrist and pulled him away just before the teeth slammed shut over his face. His head hit the side of the opening in his coral fort while he was violently being pulled out of what would be his tomb, and before he completely lost consciousness he saw a giant dorsal fin that belonged to … a shark.

When he woke it was dark and from the change in pressure he knew he was in deeper water, alone. He tried to rub his eyes, but had to clamp his good hand over his mouth to silence the pained scream that tore from his chest when he moved his other hand. What had happened? He could feel that the skin, maybe even the flesh of his wrist was torn, but someone had expertly wrapped it in seaweed to stop the bleeding. Moving it even and inch made it feel as if it would get torn open again and the pain was nothing short of unbearable. "Fuck fuck fuck fuck fuuuuuuuuuck" How could this have happened? He was SURE he was safe there, what wás that? Gritting his teeth he clutched his hand to his chest, he had to get somewhere safe, he was too exposed here. Wherever he looked there was nothing but sandy ocean floor and darkness.

He pushed himself off the sand with his good hand and tried swimming up, only to cramp up and sink down in pain again. He forgot about his tail, fuck. Breathing harshly through his nose he slowly guided the black appendage up so he could inspect it and nearly burst out crying. One of the fins was bitten clean through! It was only attached to him by a few tendons anymore and completely useless. Luckily he had no feeling there; otherwise he would pass out by the slightest movement, so why did it hurt? Checking the rest of his tail he found that it had been chewed on multiple times near the end, but this, too, had been wrapped in seaweed. He did read somewhere that seaweed was supposed to have numbing qualities, mother always made him and Sasuke chew on them before they went to the dentist.

After a few moments he caught his breath again and started using his good hand to peddle forward and slowly and carefully he stretched his other arm out to sail on his pectoral fin a bit. He bit through the pain, this was nothing! Nothing at all! He'd suffered far worse when his father put him through warrior training when he was still the 'perfect son' instead of the thieving, deceiving, traitorous monstrosity he apparently was now.

Somewhere in the darkness he was swimming towards was a golden glow that got brighter and brighter as he approached it… he really didn't want to go there, but he had no choice. Maybe some of the old spinstresses that weren't allowed in palace grounds would be willing to help him. With some newfound hope he pushed all thoughts to the back of his mind and started peddling at a steady pace to the glow of the home that abandoned him. When he got close enough to make out the body of the golden castle he felt his stomach drop, but he pushed on.

The contrast of the town was horrendous. He never noticed it before, having always lived in the luxury of the castle's prosperity, he was born blessed. And to think… in a few months he was supposed to become king of this little fairytale world and he would be just as shitty a ruler as his father was. He wondered if the man ever even visited the town or saw how the high born completely sucked the life out of all the poor slobs that were left to provide those that had a _right_ to sit on their asses and be served whatever they wanted all day. Looking back with disgust he knew that he had been the exact same way, believing that he was better than the common man because he was born with a title. Someday he would take Sasuke out to the city and show him, so that he might be a better king than he would've been.

He couldn't help but chuckle at how stupid the situation was really, here he was, exiled from a life he loved, because he spoke out against it after one visit to the town's giftshop or his brother's birthday. And now he despised it, the high golden towers, arches, bridges and gates and everything it stood for. He was under no illusions; he'd been a horrible example to his brother, he raised him to be a spoilt, conceited, prissy little prince. But he couldn't take all the blame, that's just the way he was raised as well.

But not anymore, he would find a place for them to live, and he would find a way to provide or him and fix the damage he'd done. That is, if Sasuke would ever accept him into his life again, no doubt they told him some horrible story for why he was send away. But maybe, maybe the kid still had faith in his big brother and he would believe him when he told him it was a bad place and that he was kicked out for thinking differently, maybe they could build a new life together.

Little ways from the city was a small shack; there lived an old lady he'd visited before. She could make beautiful things out of silky stuff, he wasn't quite sure where she got it, but it didn't matter really. He bought a beautiful scarf for Sasuke there. With the little strength he had left he pushed the cloth aside that posed as a door and entered. There she sat, stretched out on her chair and fast asleep. "Madam Chio?" he asked, and she woke with a start. She sat there blinking at him for a bit before she recognized him, he looked nothing like he did the last time he was there. His hair was the same length but not quite as taken care of and as shiny and it was floating around his head in tangles.

Instead of the beautiful tunics of golden fiber and golden rings around his tail and pieced through his pectorals he wore… nothing. Clothing was not necessary but it was considered becoming of his stature, she herself had the decency to wear a standard cloth dress. The waters could be cold this time of year, and she was an old woman who hadn't watched her waistline in over twenty years… it wasn't really a sight people appreciated. The young prince though, well, he could swim into her hut naked any day! All royalty were subjected to strict military training after all, and even though most were far too vein to put any effort in, this one looked trained well enough. He was muscled, though not overly so, a strong jawline and straight nose. And those eyes, black pools of mystery that stared right into her soul kept her captivated for a moment.

Something seemed to be wrong though, he wasn't using his tail and the look on his face was desperate. And… what happened to his hand? "Good grief! My lord, what happened to you?" Itachi grimaced and stuck out his hand to her, apparently the news hadn't reached her yet, so she might be willing to help still. "I… I got attacked while I fell asleep in a coral reef near the coast, could you please help me?" Telling the truth might be the best approach here, at least she knew what wounds she had to handle. Immediately she got up, nearly bumping over the table with her belly and ushered him into the chair.

Then she started rummaging through the boxes full of junk the small hut was stacked full with and dumped needles, thread and some flasks with oddly colored substances on the table and disappeared behind another curtain where he assumed her sleeping quarters were located. When she came out with what seemed to be a first-aid kit in her arms and she dumped that on the table too she took Itachi's hand in her palm, but released him after he let out a pained hiss at the contact. "Did you bandage this yourself?" He shook his head. Slowly and gently she peeled of the seaweed, her breath got caught in her throat when she saw how torn it was. "Oh my… this must have been a savage beast! My lord, if you don't mind me asking, how on earth did you escape this thing?"

He answered when she poured some thick sweet-smelling substance from one of the flasks on a piece of cloth and softly dabbed it on his hand while he tried his best not to cringe or pull away. "I honestly do not know madam Chio, someone or something pulled me away, but I bumped my head and lost my grip of consciousness. And there was so much blood in the water that I frankly couldn't see a thing. Is it very bad?" She pursed her lips and nodded. "Ah, well the thing also bit clean through my tail fin, so I'd appreciate if you could take a look at that as well?" he asked. She nodded again and after a few tries put a thin thread through one of her equally thin needles. "Now, this will hurt but it's necessary or the muscle won't heal properly and you'll be scarred for life, my lord." After he said he understood she started swiftly sowing his flesh back together, and he was glad she was such a skilled craftswoman.

After she cut off the remainder of the thread and bandaged it up cleanly he felt much better already, and he send her a thankful smile. It felt odd, he never smiled, it wasn't his thing. Being an emotionally stunted bastard was more of his forte, or well, that's what most people that knew him though. He just didn't find them worth wasting any feelings on, simple as that. The only one that had ever seen him smile before was Sasuke… and his mother the first time she gave the baby to him to hold; he'd known back then already that the kid would be his life. So it was no wonder that the old woman was taken aback a bit then he send one of the godliest smiles she'd ever seen her way. "Thank you madam, it feels much better already, you truly are an artist with a needle." Another one of those smiles, she waved him away giggling. "Oh that's fine sir, it's my job after all! Now let's take a look at that tail of yours!"

After the giddy woman finished sewing up his tail and bandaging it also he felt he could use it again. Before he could leave though she gave him a sling to put his arm in so it wouldn't accidentally bump into things and get hurt. After he thanked her some more she asked if there was anything else he might need. "Actually… there is óne thing…" slightly annoyed he tried pulling his fingers through his hair, unsuccessfully, they kept getting stuck in his tangles. "You wouldn't happen to have a hairbrush and rubber band somewhere around here, do you?"

When he finally did leave he felt clean, fixed and good. His hair was finally back in its usual do, silky smooth and tied together in a low ponytail so it won't obscure his vision. He shook the old woman's hand and slowly started swimming towards the castle, time to see Sasuke. After a few blocks he was exhausted from the effort simply swimming caused him, so he had to give up already. If he couldn't even swim a short distance like this, then how was he supposed to evade the guards and infiltrate the castle? He needed to get this strength back first… however, he couldn't stay in the city and he didn't trust the coral reefs anymore. But maybe the shallower waters had some hiding spots he didn't notice before, predators didn't go there and he was a lot hungrier than he first thought.

And so he took off towards the coast again. It was a long, slow journey, and by the time he reached the waters it was midday already and Itachi was thoroughly exhausted. So before he went out to look for the fishermen's usual spot he lay down on the warm sand and basked in the sun's soft rays. He woke suddenly, not having noticed when he'd fallen asleep. But when he looked around he saw that, apart from a few small bickering crabs, he was still completely alone for as far as he could see. Here in the bay the water was very clear and beautifully blue, so he could see very far. After stretching his numb limbs a bit he set out to find some food. Some weeds were tasty but not very filling, and at this point he was completely ravenous. So he kept stuffing himself with the salty plants until he saw the boats, judging by the time they would be leaving soon, so he had to act quickly to get some fish out of them.

When he got to the fishing lines he got very pissed of very quickly. He was just too slow to pick the fishes off the hooks before they were reeled in, and he was still very hungry. Then he noticed something… all the lines were cast on the same side of the boat… so… he could just steal the fish they already caught on the other side of the boat? It was risky, _far_ too risky, but as things were he really didn't have a choice. If he didn't eat now he wouldn't have enough energy to heal properly and he also wouldn't have enough strength to get any later either.

With his mind made up he headed up towards the surface but hesitated just underneath. He'd never been out of the water before, not even to feel or sneak a peek… He was supposed to be able to breathe air and was pretty curious as to how it would feel, but he had to be careful. So he gathered all his courage, this was preposterous! He'd fought the strongest warriors in his kingdom and was nearly torn to shreds by an underwater beast and now he was scared of poking his head out of the water? Well Itachi Uchiha was no coward! And so he surged upwards and broke through the thin layer of water. The air was cold; it made his hair stick to his face and neck in a very uncomfortable manner. He had to rub the water from his eyes to even be able to see anything, and even then it took a while or the blur to go away. Breathing hurt, the cold air cut into his lungs making him cough, and for a second he was terrified that they'd heard him.

Luckily no such thing happened and he reached his good hand up to the boat's edge and easily pulled himself up and looked over the wooden rim. There they sat, those odd creatures that looked just like him except they were lacking pectorals and wore hideous clothes. Oh, and they had, uhm what were they called again… oh yes! Legs instead of a tailfin, how impractical. Luckily the three of them were indeed facing away from him, reeling in their last catches. Behind them stood four full buckets of fish, three had a cover but the fourth was open. In order to keep his food from swimming away once he 'caught' it he would need one with a cover. Luckily the boat was quite small, and by leaning over the edge and supporting himself on one elbow he was stable enough to sneakily grab one of the buckets and drag it back to him. He'd wanted to lift it up, but from his position it was just too heavy. But it seemed luck was in his favour, because right at the moment the scraping sound would have alerted the men one burst out laughing for some reason and the sound kept them oblivious to his presence long enough for him to grab the bucket to his chest and slide himself back into the lovely water. Ah. Never had it felt better to just float in the lovely wet and warm substance.

He could see, though, that he had no choice but only open the bucket above the surface, so he made his way into the lagoon. The seabed was getting closer to the surface so he knew he was almost at the coast. He spotted a rock formation just off shore and headed over there. In the middle of the formation was one boulder about the size of his bed back home and he lifted himself onto it to look around. When he got used to the air again he could nearly cry from happiness. The boulder was hollow! And full of water! At high tide it must reach up over the rocks.

This would make a perfect temporary place to sleep, so with a little effort he dove headfirst into the hole. There was even enough room to swim around a bit! If he could sleep here and just steal a bucket of fish when he needed it he would be all set until he was fully healed. The inside of the boulder was covered in soft weeds and anemones, and would make a perfect bed.

After eating until he felt like he would burst if he had another bite he closed the lid on the bucket, lowered himself into his shelter and shoved it into an indentation just big enough for the iron thing not to stick out. Then he lay himself down and drifted off into a satisfied, dreamless sleep.


	3. Chapter Two

Shark Bait.

Chapter Two.

Itachi woke as the sun's soft rays ran over his face, calling him back to reality. Somehow the black nothingness had been penetrated by memories of times long gone, and suddenly he knew he had no time to waste anymore. He stretched his tail and swished it around a bit, trying to get rid of the tingly feeling sleeping always had on him before forcing himself to grow an appetite and eat breakfast. After that he sat contemplating for a while, how was he going to proceed from here? He had accepted the fact that he'd been shunned by his family but the throne was _his_! And if their race wanted to continue prosperous existence he had to fulfil his duty as king and save them from their own undoing. Maybe if he could get someone to listen to him, anyone, they would understand that their ways had to change, that he was right after all. And if they didn't… well… there was only one thing about the underwater city that he really wanted to save:

Sasuke.

There wasn't a moment he wasn't thinking about the kid, always been that way. His mother had warned him that it started to seem like an obsession of sorts. It didn't look like one to him, he definitely was obsessed already. The kid was just so… just so everything he would never be. Innocent, oblivious, naïve. And he would be damned if he would let his little treasure become like him, a bittered, suspicious profiteer. Alright, so he had to make a plan… one that involved getting into the castle, getting Sasuke and getting out again with him. Huh, well that seemed like a pretty good plan already, he'd think it through more when he got there.

He pushed himself over the edge of the hollowed out rock and into the open water, time for action.

X

King Fugaku was not happy. Not happy at all actually, his eldest son, his pride and successor, had dared commit the heinous crime of talking back to him, of claiming that the ways he ran his kingdom were wrong. Such an act could never be forgiven, and though it broke his heart, he had to exile the boy. Just a few months before he'd have made the boy the new king as well! He slammed his fist down on the wreckage wooden desk in front of him, startling the other mermen in his study. The vibrantly golden walls did nothing to lessen the thick tension that hung in the water around them as he took deep, shuddering breaths.

A few of the old, grey-haired royal advisors were trying to make themselves as tall as possible in front of their king, while the queen did the exact opposite. She knew what really happened, and she was scared. If anyone found out why her husband really exiled their son, the heir to the throne everyone loved, she might lose her life of luxury. That was something she didn't even want to think about affording. So it was important to act as hurt and upset as the king did about the 'attempted coup and murder', and even more important that they convinced their other son that it was true.

She hid in the corner of the room, shielding herself from her husband's wrath by keeping a vice-like grip on her youngest's shoulders. Sasuke wanted to tell her she was hurting him, but didn't dare attract his father's attention. Even after what Itachi'd done, he still wished his big brother was there to protect him. He was the only one that wasn't afraid of the king, and he'd hear him speak out against the man's judgement on multiple occasions. He felt pathetic now, always had he strived to be like his brother, his role model, and now he didn't even dare say a word without him.

But he had to stop thinking that way; Itachi wasn't what he'd always seemed to be. He couldn't believe it when they told him Itachi attempted to take over the throne, but when the man, who was pretty much an older version of him, didn't fight the charges and left voluntarily he didn't know what to believe anymore. Especially when Itachi shot him a knowing look and wink right before he left. He wanted to believe his parents, the thought of them lying to him and kicking Itachi out for something they found too embarrassing to admit was too painful to accept.

Even when they themselves hadn't been a very big part of his life, they knew how much his brother meant to him. He was the one who was there for him all his life while his mom was too busy doing nothing and being wealthy to take care of him, and his father he only ever saw when Itachi took him to see what ruling a kingdom looked like from behind the pillars in the throne room. So he couldn't believe they would do that to him, even when he was about a hundred percent sure Itachi could never do something like that, never even want to. He'd raised Sasuke to live the right way, to use his words and never force. So when he was sentenced for something that went against everything he lived by something just seemed off about it.

He sighed and suddenly his father noticed him. "Sasuke. Come here." Before he himself could even start moving his mother had already forcefully pushed him forward, causing him to bump into the desk and some documents to fall off. The already annoyed and stressed out king sent her a look that could kill and she hurried out the room. The three old men that were supposed to be the king's right hand and most trusted advisors nodded wisely, but every time Sasuke saw them the only thing he could think of were the things Itachi used to tell him about it. It was that way with everything since his brother was gone, he saw old men and he thought of the way Itachi explained how their tails reflected their age by greying just like their hair. He saw beautiful statuettes and he thought of how Itachi explained in great detail how they were made and so on.

He snapped out of his thoughts when his father rounded the table and pressed one hand on his shoulder. "Sasuke. Now that Itachi is gone you will become my successor. You are a bit behind but I'm sure that with the help of my advisors you will be up to date in no time at all." He nodded. Sasuke couldn't remember the last time he actually spoke to his father, he always just nodded. "Good. Then we'll start your training now."

X

Itachi was lost, and he had no idea how it'd happened. He didn't recognise these waters at all, and started to fear that he wouldn't be able to find his way back to the hideout. Darkness surrounded him and there wasn't a trace of the usual glow that surrounded the castle which was visible from miles and miles away. He'd have to go up to the surface to try and see how far he was from the coast. He had to swim up slowly because of the changes in water pressure and by the time he reached the surface it was already late in the afternoon. He was hungry too and the fire that had been driving him was exhausted, he needed dinner and sleep since his tail and arm were nowhere near healed yet. That didn't happen overnight.

When he broke through the surface a scary sight greeted him… there was no land in sight, none at all in any direction. "Oh good god." He was lost, completely and utterly lost, and now he had no way to find his way back. He could feel his strength dwindling, he needed to eat. But it seems the gods were at least a bit in his favour; he could see the vague shapes of ships on the horizon. If they were fishermen he might grab a bite there, so he ducked back under the surface and headed out in that direction.

When he approached the ships something seemed different about them, different from the fishing boats he'd seen so far. They were bigger, much much bigger. And there was something underneath each boat that seemed like a wall underwater, a wall with holes in it. When he swam closer he could see that it was made of rope and that several fish were stuck in it, a net he thought it was called. Yes! Free meal! But when he reached out to grab one the ship suddenly sped up, making the net press against him. He tried pushing himself off it but he couldn't! His tail wasn't strong enough and his arm got caught in one of the holes! Then the bottom corners were being pulled up, making the net form a cocoon around him.

Itachi tried moving himself to the edge of the net, but it was too far and he was too slow. Then the sides connected and he was trapped. "NO! Let me out!" fish were wiggling for their freedom all around him and some managed to squeeze through the holes. His hand was still stuck, and while he tried with all his might to free himself some of the stiches ripped. He grit his teeth against the pain, but then the water started turning red around his hand, now he was trapped _and_ attracting predators. And just when he thought it couldn't get any worse, the net was slowly getting pulled up and out of the water next to the ship.

His hand was caught somewhere at the top of the net, and there was a lot of space left beneath him as it surfaced, with as result that all his weight was hanging on his already injured hand. He grabbed a part of the rope close to it and tried to shift his weight, with little result. And when the net was being swung over the edge of the boat and onto the deck in a sudden motion he couldn't hold it anymore and let out a pained scream as he landed on his face. Immediately all the shouting of the fishermen stopped and after a moment they ran towards the net, worried that someone had been accidentally trapped. This was a common diving area after all.

But what they really found made their breath get stuck in the rugged men's throats when they saw what could probably be the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen. "'tsa mermaid…" one whispered, while they took in the long and strong black scaled tail and fins which were connected to the most flawless ivory skin. Itachi then managed to twist himself to his side inside the net and looked up hopelessly at his captors. "Please… my hand." The closest sailor took one look at where the apparent mer_man_ was gesturing and cursed when he saw the blood-soaked bandages and ropes. He took out his knife and carefully cut open the net, after which Itachi quickly brought his hand to his chest before throwing the rest of the ropes off him and sitting up. There were humans. Too many humans for him to escape, he had to think of a plan. "Thank you, I was attacked by some predator not long ago and when my hand got caught in your net I thought I was going to die for sure." The men didn't answer; they just stood awe-stricken.

Old fishermen always told lores about catching beautiful mermaids that would fall in love with them and how the sea kept them apart, no one ever believed those tales. And now they caught one! Sadly it wasn't a lady but this young man's beauty could not be equalled by any woman on land. A door slammed open behind the crowding group of fishermen and a loud voice resounded over the wooden deck. "What the hell is going on here?" the other men stepped aside as the owner of that voice made his way towards the source of commotion. "A merman, captain! He got caught in our net." One explained, causing the captain to laugh while he kept walking. "Really now? And you're sure none of you had their way with the ale this earl-holy mother of god! That's a merman!"

Itachi, who had used the distraction to try and drag himself to the edge with his one good hand froze and turned to face the crew, who were all staring at him. "Yes, I sure am, now if you'll excuse me…" he tried to crawl away again, but in two big steps the captain was next to him and pulled him up into the air by his arm. "You're a pretty little thing, aren't you? It'd be a shame if those sharks got a hold of you…" he nodded towards the water and Itachi saw that his blood had indeed attracted unwanted attention in the form of numerous hungry sharks.

"So how about you come to port with us, eh?" "But captain, what would there be at shore for him? He needs water right?" With an annoyed sigh the captain turned back towards his crew, dragging his captured prize with him, who whimpered when his still sensitive tailwound dragged over the rough wood. "You idiot, do you have any idea how much this pretty thing is worth? If we sell him to the zoo we'll be rich! We'll never have to work again! Now, you, you and you; fill that old bathtub in the hold with seawater and put him in it. Be careful that tail don't get damaged more than it already is and we'll set sail for land!" and so it happened. And no matter how much Itachi struggled to free himself he was no match for the men, and within minutes of organized work he was dumped in the tub and left there.

After a short period in which he caught his breath Itachi decided he was furious, no, livid. How _dare_ these humans treat him this way! As if he was some sort of animal they could just do with what they wanted! He needed to find a way to escape, to get out of there and into the water again. He had no idea what this 'zoo' thing was they talked about, and he was not in the mood to find out, all he knew was that he had to find a weapon of sorts. He looked around for a bit, the space the put him in had no windows, had only a cheap flickering lamp to light it, and was filled to the top and corners with large wooden boxes and barrels that stank of fish. He might as well try to eat some, he didn't know what time it was, but he was starving and he'd need his strength to escape.

Just as he was trying to climb out of the tub the door opened, and he let himself fall back into the water. A young man entered the room, with an iron bucked in his hands. He closed the door behind him and shyly approached the tub and its occupant. Even with the bad lighting Itachi could see that he had vibrantly golden hair, almost the same colour as the castle. And when the young man reached him and looked up he saw the two most stunning blue eyes he'd ever seen, they were darker than the sky but lighter than the water, and seemed very insecure. After only one quick glance the blonde held out the bucked towards him and Itachi twisted around in the tub so he was now lying on his stomach, before peeking inside the metal container.

Fish. Freshly caught fish that were wiggling on top of each other and were perfectly bite-size. "F-for you, captain said you needed food so please don't bite me sir!" the young man, who was really just a boy, looked everywhere but at him. Itachi chuckled and took the bucket from him. "Now why would I bite you? I'd much rather eat these fishies, thank you." He took one out and started nibbling on it. The blonde sent him a questioning glance before speaking, "But the captain said I should be careful around you…" "And has your captain ever come into contact with any merpeople before?" the young man shook his head. "Not that I know of sir." "Well then you shouldn't listen to what everyone says while they themselves have no idea what they're talking about. I'm just like you, except I have a fish's tail. How old are you boy?" the boy swallowed thickly before answering. "I'm twelve sir… my brother works on this boat and he got me a job here 'cause our mom kicked us out." Hmm, this boy was the same age as Sasuke.

Lucky for him he knew just how to deal with those little shits. "I have a little brother that is your age, his name is Sasuke, and I'm Itachi. What's yours?" the blonde eyed him suspiciously, "Why do you want to know?" So I can make you believe we're on the same level and I can help you with your problems but really trick you into getting me out of here. "I just figured there was no reason for us not to be friends? You brought me food and I'm grateful for that." The boy showed him a crooked grin at that; he's never had many friends before, and certainly none this cool! "I'm Naruto! My brother's called Kyuubi and he's a real pain in the ass, but we're related and I have nowhere else to go so I guess I gotta stick around here. I don't really like fishing, I think it's cruel, but right now I don't really have a choice…"

He knew what the kid meant alright. When he handed the bucket back to him the blonde turned towards the light for a moment to put it away and Itachi could discern three long scars on both his cheeks. He decided not to say anything but to address more pressing matters instead. "Hey, Naruto, what's a zoo?"


	4. Chapter Three

Shark Bait.

Chapter Three.

Naruto was having the time of his life; for once people weren't sneering down upon him, calling him stupid or telling him to shut up. For the very first time he felt smart. Itachi knew nothing about all the things on land, and what was completely normal to him was a mystery to the merman. And while he was explaining everything about roads, zoos and, what puzzled the merman the most, wheels, he got to stare at that tail all he wanted. "Why would you want to put dangerous animals in the middle of cities? That sounds rather stupid to me, are all humans stupid?"

"Are you calling me stupid?" "I'm calling the things humans do stupid, don't you agree? They keep things that can kill them as _pets_?" That tail was amazing; he would be able to swim faster than any boat could sail, he could do whatever he wanted! Itachi finally caught him looking at his tail and saw the opening he'd been looking for during the entire conversation. "You like my tail, huh?" the boy blushed and nodded. "This beauty can power me up to speeds you can't even imagine, do you want to feel the fins?" The boy's eyes grew to the size of saucers and he furiously shook his head. "I'm not supposed to get too close to you, you're dangerous!"

Itachi chuckled, "That I am, but you have no reason to fear me, boy, you're not the one who caught me, or is going to sell me, _and_ you brought me food. You don't know this, but I used to be of pretty high standing down below, and might be again someday. But I need to get back in the water to be able to fix the things I left undone, will you help me?" Naruto looked to his feet and shrugged half-heartedly. "I-I really can't… my brother will kill me and we'd lose this job, I'm really sorry sir!" he turned and ran away, slamming the heavy iron door shut behind him. Itachi slumped down into the tub with a sigh. "Ah it was worth a try…"

After a while the light went out and he figured it was night or something, there was no way he was getting anywhere anymore now. So he slid down until he was completely submerged in the water and relaxed. His tail didn't fit though so it hung to the floor, but he didn't mind, the water was flooding in his lungs and his eyes could finally rest. Luckily for him his species wasn't bound to salt water, the fresh water he was lying in felt just as pleasant on his skin. His mind was far from at ease though, and his arm started to act up, so he couldn't sleep at all. Maybe that was lucky, since his hearing was enhanced as long as he was submerged and awake he could clearly feel the footsteps next to the tub vibrate in the water.

He stayed absolutely still, this person was much lighter that an adult human, and since he hadn't seen any other children besides Naruto it was pretty clear who his visitor was. While trembling fingers ghosted over the tip of his tail and softly touched one of the large black fins hanging on the ground Itachi calculated the distance from the tub to the door. With a fluid motion he sat up, turned around, swished his tail from the boys grasp, leaned over the edge of the tub and grabbed the door. The boy fell flat on his ass in shock and Itachi threw the heavy door shut, it automatically locked itself. Pleased with his action Itachi twisted a bit to reverse his position until his tail was pointing at the door and he faced the child. "What did you expect?" he asked while he leaned forward, grabbed the boy under his arms and lifted him back to his feet. The boy took a staggering step backwards, shielding his face from the blows that were certainly coming with his arms. "I am a creature of the sea, not some sludgy fisherman, there's no need to fear me."

Lifting the boy had been stupid, his wrist that had just started to heal was torn open again, but he wouldn't be distracted from his goal this time, so he held his bad arm under water, out of the boy's sight. He leaned nonchalantly on his good arm and smiled, luckily the dumb kid turned the light on when he came in. "Don't be so scared now, I won't eat you. Honestly, you are quite stupid are you not?" Naruto turned beet red and his eyebrows knitted together in a frown. "I'm not stupid! Don't call me stupid I just wanted to feel it!" "That is exactly why you're stupid. Did I not offer you to touch it, and did you not refuse?" the boy puffed up his cheeks and stared at his feet in defeat again. Itachi couldn't help but chuckle at the sight, the boy really was quite cute.

"Look." He lifted his tail into the air while repressing his wince, showing the torn ligaments and other wounds to the boy. "If you tugged on that fin even a little you would've ripped it right off, so you shouldn't go doing things without taking notice of the consequences, alright?" "I'm sorry, sir." Naruto murmured while he glanced up to see the fin. A huge wave of guilt crashed over him at seeing the state of it, he _had_ been planning to give it a little tug to see how sturdy it was, if Itachi hadn't stopped him… "Here." Itachi extended his arm, unfolding the large fin connecting it to his body, towards the boy. "It's the same kind, but you understand if I don't exactly trust you with my tail anymore, don't you?" "Why did you close the door?" "So you wouldn't run away and we could have this nice little chat." If he could get the kid to come within arm length, that'd mean he trusted him and there might still be a chance to get out!

The boy hesitantly took a step forward, putting himself back within reach. When the merman smiled and nodded encouragingly he found the nerve to run his fingers over the smooth black fin. He gasped, "Wow! It's really soft; I bet it's even softer than silk." "Of course, it has to be incredibly smooth, so I can sail through the water without any trouble. Say Naruto, have you ever met a prince before?" The boy, who was now at ease, couldn't take his eyes off the smooth black expanse of elastic skin. "No of course not! When would I ever meet a prince?" "How about right now? In a few months I was supposed to become king of all the oceans, sees, lakes and rivers of the world." Oh what a big, fat lie it was, but that didn't matter. "Except… well, now I'm stuck here I can't take up my position."

The boy looked up at him with eyes filled with disbelief and hope. "You're a real prince?" he whispered hopefully. "Yes, look, I'll show you." Itachi's back, which had previously been covered in nothing but his pale skin, shuddered and shook. His spine pressed up tighter and tighter against the skin, and the vertebrae from his shoulder blades down to his waist seemed to become pointier. With a painful groan the sharp spikes pierced the merman's skin and shot up into the air as high as his tail was long, and they formed a massive dorsal fin. Instead of being black like the rest of his fish-like parts, this fin, bones and all, seemed to be made from pure gold.

Naruto let out a breathy 'wooooooooow' and took another step closer to get a better look. This, however, gave him the opportunity to look into the bath and see that the water had turned completely red. He screamed. "No! No no no no no, shut up just shut up! It's nothing bad so be quiet!" this wasn't how it was supposed to go, damn it. "You're hurt! How? What happened!" the boy looked up at him with eyes filled with worries. "Is it my fault? I'm so sorry! Sir, prince, I'm so sorry please what can I do?" heavy footsteps approached the door, and muffled voices could be heard yelling. "Naruto! Naruto are you in there? What's going on?" Oh no , things weren't supposed to be like this! With all the power he could muster Itachi managed to pull his dorsal fin back inside right before the door slammed open.

The sailors ran in, took one look at the situation and froze. "Naruto what did you DO? He's bleeding out, get him outta that tub!" "Captain's gonna kill us, grab the tail!" Itachi tried to squirm out of their hold but one of the sailors grabbed his already damaged fin and tried to yank him up by it. With a sickening sound of ripped flesh it tore loose, and Itachi lost it. He tried to claw at the men with his good hand but pressed down on his gnashed wrist too hard, he slipped, they pulled on his tail, and his head hit the side of the bathtub too hard. There was nothing but pain, he saw Naruto crying and probably yelling at the sailor that ripped his fin off but he couldn't hear anything anymore. Then everything went black.

When he woke up he felt sluggish and his mind was clouded. He tried to open his eyes but couldn't find the strength to move his eyelids. What's going on? He tried to think but his thoughts moved slowly, as if they had to make their way through some kind of thick syrup before he could find them. He felt good though, as if he were back in the water. But he couldn't feel any part of his body, all there was was a tingly sensation, but compared to the pain from before he welcomed it. His mind had become exhausted just from thinking about what had happened and before he managed to notice it he'd been sucked back into the darkness.

The next time he woke up he felt clearer, his thoughts were less syrupy, and he managed to open his eyes. He was in a tank with some kind of see-through walls and an iron bottom, it was filled with seawater and he let himself sink to the bottom with a sigh. He touched the wall but felt nothing, his entire body was still numb. A blue canvas covered the tank, which seemed to be constantly wobbling and shaking. It didn't hold the light back, so he could see what was going on around him. There was a fresh white bandage around his wrist and his fin seemed to have been attached to him with little crooked nails, it was pressed against his tail and had a bandage around it also. Good, it meant he would still be able to swim in time. He felt his back, which was left open after he retracted his dorsal fin, and the large split had been sown shut with some kind of thread. At that moment he felt very grateful to be worth more in one piece.

After a while he started to get the feeling in his limbs back, but his wrist and tail remained numb. He saw the canvas flutter a bit on one side of the tank and he pressed himself against the invisible wall there… glass, he remembered Naruto calling it. The blue fabric seemed to have come loose there, and he saw a round thing spinning beneath him, faster than he could discern. How amazing, that must be a wheel. And if he remembered it right wheels were used to transport things, so he was being taken somewhere. Under the wheel was a flat grey surface, a… what was it? Asphalt road. How ingenious humans were! Truly, they couldn't swim where they needed to go, so they made these flat roads to travel on with ease. He was quite impressed, though he'd found it a little implausible when Naruto told him about it.

He briefly wondered about the boy, he hoped they hadn't punished him too much; he'd been innocent after all. Suddenly the wheel below him stopped spinning and the water, including its occupant, splashed up against one side of the tank. The sound he'd remembered from the boat and that he'd be hearing the whole time he'd been in the tank suddenly stopped. Engine, Naruto'd called it. He could hear voices from outside the tank, and the canvas was being undone on every side. The next moment it was completely pulled away and the bright sun became visible overhead. A second later there were flashing lights all around him, voices were screaming excitedly and humans were everywhere. Their voices kept reverberating in his tank, up to deafening volumes. The flashes blinded him. He pressed his hands over his ears, ignoring the pain that resurfaced at the action, closed his eyes and curled himself up into a bundle. What was happening? Why were there so many humans and what were those lights? He was scared; would they pull on him and hurt him as well?

He wrapped his large tail around himself protectively, inducing many 'ooooh's and 'aaah's in the crowd. A creaking voice sounded over the others, penetrating his mind over and over again with the same message of there finally being a second merman in this, the most progressive zoo of the entire world, and he had been caught only little ways off shore. He didn't want to hear it; he wanted it to end, to make it all stop. It was drowning his thoughts, all the sounds, lights and voices, it was breaking his mind. He didn't want any of this, he just wanted to go home and see his brother. Back in the ocean, he wanted to be back in the ocean. He started yelling to drown out the other voices, screaming at them to shut up, to stop, to leave him alone. But they only got louder.

He smelled blood, the bandages around his wrist had turned red and the water was changing colour too, but he couldn't stop pressing his hands over his ears, anything was better than those voices, he wanted to cry. Never in his life had he felt this helpless. He couldn't get out of the tank, and there was no water anywhere else in sight. Suddenly a familiar and desperate voice penetrated the wall of noise, "Sir! Prince! I'm so sorry, please forgive me!" someone made their way through the crowd and pressed himself against the glass tank. "Naruto?" yes, thank god, a familiar face. Itachi opened his eyes and used his good hand to push himself to the side the boy was pressed to. "Naruto, talk to me, please just talk to me." The boy started rambling about where he was, what the flashes and cameras were, and what was happening. By focussing only on the kid who was talking loudly with tears streaming down his face Itachi managed to maintain his sanity for just a little longer.

The people were amazed, the previous merman this zoo had purchased was nothing short of a monster, but this one was the most beautiful thing they'd ever seen! A skin as flawless as a perfect pearl, and pale as the moon. The long black hair drifting around the perfectly sculpted face only added to his features, and the black tail was, in comparison the the monstrous shark-tail of the other, a thing one would only see in movies… and dreams.

Itachi was losing himself, no matter his usual composure and calm mind; he was growing more and more desperate. He was bleeding too much; everything was a red haze around him, he couldn't see or hear the boy anymore. He couldn't see or hear anything anymore. The last thing he noticed was two humans in some weird full-body suit jumping into the tank. One grabbed him, and he didn't have the strength to resist. The other took out a little pump with a needle at the end, stuck in Itachi's unscathed arm and pumped the white fluid it held inside into his body.

The car that towed the large tank started up again and pulled it towards a staff-only entrance, leaving the spectators and reporters behind. The tank, complete with its once again passed out occupant was taken to the back of the exhibit of the other merman, the one they only caught a few days prior and who'd been a lot more trouble, and a lot more violent than this one. The tank was connected to the other large water tank that was part of the marine section of the zoo and the glass gate was opened. All the water in the tank crashed into the exhibit, pulling Itachi with it.

"Is this really okay?" one of the zoo's employees asked another, who shrugged. "What do I care." "But isn't the other one a… sharkman? What if he tries to eat him?" "Not our problem, let's go eat."

In the corner of the exhibit a dark blue form that'd been blissfully asleep behind a large boulder, away from the public's eye, awoke with a shock. His nostrils flared, pupils widened and stomach growled at the sudden and intense taste of blood in the water. The rows upon rows of pointy teeth stretched into a wicked grin. He grabbed the boulder with his massive hands and in one smooth motion, without even having to use his powerful tail that immediately blocked the entire glass front of the exhibit, thrust himself through the water. His dorsal fin was as sharp as his teeth, and as high as his massive tail was long. The fins on this tail were sharp and his blue lower body was covered in rows of spikes.

In less than a fraction of a second he arrived at his prey's side. "What do we have here? I remember you, pretty little thing." He grabbed the young merman, who was less than half his size, and pulled the prince to his chest. "How nice to see you again." He grabbed the bleeding wrist and brought it to his face to inhale the blood that was still steadily flowing into the water. It'd been too long since he made a kill, the fish the humans gave him were pathetic little snacks, but now they gave him such a lovely thing to tear limb from limb. He could already _taste_ the crunchy bones hidden under the supple flesh. It wasn't like the arrogant piece of shit would remember him anyway, so it was fine to eat him. "Your life belongs to me after all." He whispered to the tasty little prey in his arms. He decided to start with the bleeding wrist, and was just about to sink his teeth into the pale flesh when Itachi opened his eyes. He sleepily looked up at the blue monstrosity before him and a shock of recognition hit him, the blue hair, insane eyes, sharp teeth and massive body… "Kisame?"


	5. Chapter Four

Shark Bait.

Chapter Four.

Kisame curiously looked down upon the figure that had passed out in his arms again. Having the prince recognise him was… unexpected. He wondered how the young man found out his name, seeing as how they'd never even exchanged hello's. This was a large part of the reason it was very hard to resist sinking his teeth into the smooth flesh and filling his stomach with the soon to be undoubtedly screeching and fighting young man, it'd been a long time he'd made someone fight for their life. A fight they would always loose, of course. He hated him. He hated him more than he'd been able to stand. For years he bore it, the burden of being the prince's personal bodyguard. It was a position he took great pride in, but had turned out to be unsatisfactory. After taking care of him from the time the prince had been little more than a guppy, foiling countless assaults and assassination attempts and never even receiving a simple thank you… That day he just completely lost it. How dare he, that little piece of shit that hadn't had to work a day in his life, talk about equality? He was there, the fateful day, the day Itachi went to the _gift shop_. He'd burst out laughing at the stricken expression on the prince's face after seeing the conditions his minions lived in.

And then he was scolded. One should never make fun of those that were more important than them, and according to fishmen law he stood at about the same level as a sponge in the food chain. Never mind the fact that he could bite their entire head off before they even noticed they were dead. He was scolded for treating the prince as his equal, while Mr Royal Highness was pleading with his father for the very same thing. He couldn't help himself, every argument Itachi used to plead for his cause was nothing short of ridiculous. The entire situation was just so silly! He talked about his subjects as if they were pet hamsters or something, and he just couldn't take it. He'd been packing up his things to leave the palace, unable to stand the posh air of self-proclaimed enlightenment for another second. He'd literally been on his way to the exit when he saw a shady character following the prince into his chamber, with a blade hidden behind his back. With his remaining sense of duty kicking in he decided a last act of kindness wouldn't be too much effort.

So he hurried into the room, immediately spotting the badly concealed assassin behind on of the pillars in the nauseatingly elaborate sleeping quarters. Itachi didn't see him, though, and started throwing the world's biggest bitchfit over Kisame entering his personal space. Moments later the room filled with guards and he was arrested for assaulting the prince. The assassin filed in with the guards seamlessly and winked. He was one of the king's men.

While he was escorted out he looked back and saw Itachi staring him down, shaking his head with a disapproving scowl on his face, and Kisame was done with him.

So in the next few days he got rid of the ridiculous bodyguard costume they had him wear, he looked like a freaking jester, and decided to go through life au naturel from that point on. With a body built like a weapon in every possible he didn't need much more than himself to survive. So he returned to his home, deep in the dark waters. The place where there was no light, no society, no survivors. Only sharp fins and sharper teeth. Only the strong and suicidal dared enter the realm of the Sharkmen. There were things hiding in the darkness, things fishmen couldn't see. But he could smell them, feel them move, hear them breath and even blink. The dark was his home, the death hiding just out of his reach was something he faced with glee. And when the darkness stirred, when one of his own approached him and started their joyful dance of death it felt long overdue. After spending 17 years conforming to humanity he had come home, and when he made his kill it felt just like the first time. The thirst he'd been repressing for as long as he could remember was finally being quenched, and when the red mist flooded his senses he lost his human mind and turned back into what he really was; a monster of the deep.

And so he spent his days, scouring the waters for prey, slaughtering anything that crossed his path varying from cocky morays to vicious great whites. But then something happened, something that brought him back to himself for just a moment. He'd just entered his fatal dance with a massive kind of squid that turned itself inside out to engage him with his spiked tentacles, and felt his blood pumping in the manner he'd gotten accustomed to again. The tips of the tentacles lit op blue and Itachi's voice entered his mind. The young man had been telling stories to his little brother about the vampire squid from hell and how they would go and see it together. While he lost his momentum over the odd memory one of the spikes sliced his face and he was brought back into his animalistic state, breathing in the scent of his own death. "Sorry Itachi," His lips formed the words without his consent while he sent the monster, that had allegedly come from hell and tried to tangle him in the deathly tentacles, back home. "You won't get to show him this one."

He soon dismissed the memory as a singular occurrence, until it happened again, and again, and again. Until he aimlessly swam around between kills, his mind filled with memories of the young man, and unsure why. He tried to think of other things, but soon realised that besides the prince there'd been no one else he'd ever paid any attention to during his stay in the golden reserve. Besides his superior poking fun of him he'd never listened to anyone, or even looked their way twice, his entire life had revolved around the privileged little merman.

After a while he found himself wondering if the young man was dead yet. With the massive amounts of assassination attempts he'd foiled the odds weren't in the prince's favour. Thinking about some killer-for-hire taking his previous charge's life didn't seem fair to him, after all, the only reason he'd been alive up to now was because Kisame'd been keeping him from leaving the realm of the living. That should give him responsibility over his death, shouldn't it? Shouldn't it be his choice when to let the prince die? That made a lot of sense, and Kisame decided that it would be bad sport to leave the clearly incompetent young man to fend for himself. He would go back, kill the prince, and return to his peaceful life in the darkness without that damn voice nagging at the back of his head every damn day.

So he made his way back to the palace, snuck in easily, and made his way to the prince's quarters without any interference. The guards were as incompetent as they'd always been. When he got there, though, it wasn't Itachi who sat waiting for him. "Why are you here?" he'd asked, and the boy who sat perched on the edge of the large bed stared up at him with an expression of stifling fear on his face. One of the room's walls was a mirror, and Kisame saw his own reflection for the first time in weeks, the boy's expression was understandable. His blue skin was littered with massive scars and he'd seemed to have lost a great many of his scales. His healing rate was incredibly high, as per usual for his kind, but this surprised even him. Kisame decided he liked the look, and he liked how his massive dorsal fin had several chunks bitten out of it, as well as the long white stripes the several giant squid he'd faced left on his face. But he understood how he might look terrifying to others, though he had absolutely no qualms about scaring the palace people shitless.

"Talk or I'll eat you. Scream and I'll massacre everyone in this fucking place, you want that on your conscience?" the boy's eyes widened and he shook his head furiously. "So tell me, where is your brother." Sasuke gathered all his courage and forced the whispered words to leave his lips. "He's banished." "What. Why?" "For staging a coup… I got his room." Kisame left. That couldn't be true, he knew Itachi, he wouldn't stage a coup. It wasn't like him at all, if he knew anything about the young man it was that he had a mostly peaceful character, the guy was practically a pacifist.

It wouldn't be hard to find the prince, though, he liked bright places and would probably be in a coral reef or near a beach of some sorts. He could spot him miles away. Outside the palace he concentrated for a moment to try and find his scent, it was faint, but gave him a clear indication of the direction he'd swam off to. It took a while but he arrived at a bright coral reef where the scent was the strongest, except the prince wasn't there. Kisame decided to hide in a dark crevice near some high coral towers, and he waited. Soon enough the water got darker, indicating night was on the way. The scent got stronger and after a while Itachi appeared, he dove down from the shallower waters and made his way towards the very same coral towers Kisame was hiding nearby. He seemed to interact with an octopus and made his way into what appeared to be a make-shift hut. Kisame was intrigued, the prince was more inventive than he'd credited him for.

He decided to wait until the steady heartbeat he could feel even in a reef as busy as this one had slowed down enough to indicate that he was sleeping. Just when he was about to push himself back into the open and do what he came to do a large barracuda came stalking over the lower colonies of colourful coral. It seemed to swim to the large tower with a purpose, and the octopus guarding the entrance to Itachi's little hideout fled. The hunter slowly made its way inside and Kisame followed him, though he waited outside. He was quite curious to see how Itachi would fare against such a small predator, the barracuda couldn't be longer than 6ft… if he measured generously. The sounds of a struggle could be heard from inside and suddenly the smell of blood filled his senses.

How… how DARE that oversized sardine sink its teeth into his prey! With one swoop of his powerful tail he barged into the little hut, he grabbed the fish in one fist and gnawed its head off. He instinctively dove away when Itachi looked his way, but his dorsal fin was still clearly visible. The prince swam for his life. Kisame decided to let him live for a little longer, and took another bite out of the still-wiggling fish in his large hand, carnivores were always tastier than the regular old fish… While he saw the prince swish his tail up and down like fishmen do he decided that it looked completely retarded, and sent a loving smile to his own, shark-like, power tool of a tail.

0

Itachi's head was pounding, what did those humans _do_ to him? He blinked slowly, looking up at the person who'd disappeared from the bottom of the sea only a few weeks before he himself was exiled. "Kisame, why are you here?" The sharkman's face split in half to accommodate the masses of teeth that formed his grin. "Didn't think you'd remember me, little Uchiha, how did your entitled ass end up here?" Itachi blinked a few times to clear his sight, his head felt too heavy to think… had the man always looked like such a predator before? "I was caught by fishermen… and sold to this place I think… you?" Kisame smiled creepily, it probably wouldn't be a good idea to tell him how seeing him swim away had put him into a mood to murder whales, which ended in an entire beach getting covered in blood and entrails of a 60 tonnes sperm whale, and he himself getting hunted by humans with spiked sticks they called harpoons. He'd pleasantly sunk over a dozen ships, since his dorsal fin cut through the iron hull like butter and he chewed up more than one sailor, which weren't nearly as tasty as he'd expected. And then he'd been shot with countless tranquilizer darts, after which he woke up in the lovely tank. "Yeah… same thing."

Itachi tried to sit up, and immediately fell back, clutching his head in pain. "What did they do to me?" "Probably drugged you." Kisame couldn't help but think what an odd coincidence it was that they'd be put together like this again. Itachi tried to sit up again and ended up slumped against one of the sharkman's massive arms. He looked over Kisame's shoulder to the crowd gathering in front of their exhibit and his breath got stuck in his throat at the sight of the dorsal fin blocking his sight. "K-Kisame?" He asked with a shaky voice. "Are there any other Sharkmen present in the lighter parts of the oceans right now?" What an odd question. "Not that I know of, why?" "Just curious." Itachi looked up at him with a fear in his eyes that wasn't there just moment ago, and the blue man didn't know why, he hadn't done anything, right? "Are there any other predators out there with a dorsal fin like yours?" As if! "HA! Hell no, this baby is unique!"

Itachi started to shake, "So it was you?" "What?" "You were the one that attacked me in the reef?" Kisame was puzzled for a moment before he remembered that the blue knife on his back was pretty damn big, and had probably been visible even after he dove away. Still, it was a pretty stupid thought. "Itachi, do you see this?" He pointed at his teeth, the prince nodded. "And do you see these?" he held out his colossal hands, Itachi nodded again. "If I grabbed you with these hands, and took a bite out of you with these teeth, do you really think you'd have gotten away with only the minimal wounds you have now?" When the other looked uncertain Kisame sighed and grabbed his bitten arm. He brought the wound to his mouth and gently bit down on the soft flesh with all the self-control he could muster at the sudden intense taste of blood. He released the young man, who'd turned ghostly pale at feeling the razors on his arm.

Kisame had made sure not to pierce the skin though, so the arm only held teeth-shaped indentations… about four times the size of the wound. The young man looked up, seemingly confused. "For a smartass you're pretty fucking stupid, huh?" Itachi hugged his arm to his chest. "Don't call me stupid for not understanding what the hell is going on!" Kisame picked up a sizeable rock and took a bite out of it as easily as if it was a slice of seaweed. "You see this?" He showed the rock to the young man. "If I were the one who attacked you, your royal highness, you wouldn't be sitting here. You would be very, _very_ much dead. It was a barracuda that attacked you, he'd probably been able to kill you too, as weak as you are. You better thank me for saving your life." "You saved me? Why do I find that so hard to believe?"

Ungrateful _bitch_! "Ex-fucking-cuse me? Who do you think made it possible for you to even sit here being a stuck up little cunt? ME. I am the one who saved your life, SO many more times than you're worth! But you don't know that, do you? Have you ever even noticed me always being around to look after you? I bet not." During his little rant Kisame had shoved the younger male away from him, instinctively careful to keep his spikes retracted as to not hurt him. He turned away and decided to sulk in the corner for a bit. Itachi grabbed his arm and was flung along with the massive sharkman's movement. "Of course I noticed!" He pressed his face to the muscular arm in shame. "I was always watching you…" "Why?" "I don't know! Because you were always there, and you looked so different from everyone else. They all ignored you, and you were always lurking around me in some dark nook or corner or whatever. For years I thought you weren't even real! That I'd somehow made you up… Until Sasuke asked me who you were I thought you were just a figment of my imagination, that you were someone I'd made up to keep me safe and protect me. But reality was much better, because you were real, and you were really there for those reasons."

Kisame sat frozen, not really knowing what to do with himself, they'd never even spoken before and now all this was coming out, he was more than a little confused. Itachi knew he probably had to let go, but he didn't want to, he felt his cheeks burning in embarrassment and couldn't face the man this way. "I never talked to you because then this happens! I put myself together every morning to be who I am, but when I even _think_ of talking to you I completely lose that and become this pathetic, blubbering _girl_…" Kisame found it hard to breathe. He shook his arm loose and grabbed the near-crying prince by both his shoulders. "I was watching you that night because I wanted to kill you. And right before you said my name when you were brought in just now I planned to do so again." Itachi looked up at him with an uncertain look in his eyes. "And now?" He managed to force out. Kisame pulled the young man to his chest and kissed him.


	6. Chapter Five

Shark Bait.

Chapter Five.

Itachi had trouble breathing, the big man's arms were wrapped around him and his heart felt about ready to pound its way out of his chest. He wanted to pull away before he lost his mind in the kiss, but Kisame had other plans, and none included letting the little prince go. He did, however, flip the young man around and push him up against a rock. "You know, I really didn't expect to be able to escape from this place anymore, but you've made it possible." Kisame said, and he pushed his hips against the other's behind. Itachi gasped, "Wh-what are you doing?" Kisame grabbed a hand full of the other's long, black hair and pulled his head back. "I've been here for long enough to determine that humans are quite prude, they won't stop us since it's all 'natural' but if we're lucky they'll cover the exhibit. We look too much like them for them to be comfortable with it." "With what?" "Seeing us fuck." "WHAT?!" Itachi tried to turn around but was swiftly pushed back into the hard surface. "Good. The more you struggle, the sooner they'll cover us. Don't be afraid to scream or hit me, we've got to make this believable after all."

Itachi was terrified, how the hell had things taken a turn like this? This wasn't supposed to happen! "Please… please don't, Kisa." "What kind of guy do you think I am? It's really that easy for you to believe that I'll rape you, have a little faith in me Uchiha." The younger of the two calmed down a bit, "So… you're not actually going to take me?" Kisame retracted his dorsal fin to give their audience a better view. "No, but they don't have to know that. Now make some noise." He grabbed Itachi's hips with both hands and thrust his own against it. The gut wrenching scream that tore from the other's throat had Kisame stop his movements and pull Itachi's face toward him. "Are you okay? I… didn't do anything." Under the mess of black hair Itachi's eyes had a devious glint in them. "I am absolutely fine." And he punched him. Itachi punched him. Right in the face. And with a quick swish of his tail the youngster nearly managed to escape from his grasp.

This, however, set Kisame's hunter instinct in motion, and in less than a second he caught the other, wrenched his arm behind his back and pushed his face in the sand only inches from the thick glass. "NO! Let me go!" "As if." He twisted the other's arm a little further, not nearly far enough to cause him pain, but Itachi put on a pretty little show, he even clawed at the glass. Kisame used his other hand to position the young man's hips like before and started up their jerk movements. Most of the crowd in front of their exhibit ran off and one woman with a child on her arm was angrily speaking to one of the zookeepers. Kisame looked up at the remaining people and showed them a grin they wouldn't meet in their darkest nightmares. After a little while their little play seemed to pay off, because a few zookeepers wheeled a large brown screen in front of their prison and they were hidden from view.

"Okay, we probably won't have long before they check on us, so it's time to move. Feeding time was about 10 minutes ago, so our way out is clear." Kisame swam to a part of the wall and pulled the fake ocean wall aside to reveal a large round roster. "What is that?" Itachi asked, this was exciting! After spending most of his life doing nothing he was suddenly thrown into one adventure after the other, if this was what life with Kisame was like he'd never leave the man. "It's part of the ventilation system, our water gets sucked out through here, gets filtered, and is then redistributed over all the tanks." With hardly any effort he pulled the iron roster from its bolts and put it aside. "You're going out through here, just follow the current and when you come to a large mauly thing you pass under it. It should lead you to the lake outside. You'll have to swim against the current for that part, but you're strong enough to manage, right?" Itachi nodded. "You'll have to be. The filter has a strong pull, and when you get sucked in you're done for so be careful. There is no light anywhere, but just keep swimming down okay? Now go." Itachi pushed himself into the small pipe, he only barely fit. Before he got the chance to ask how Kisame was going to fit through the man had put the roster back in its place. "I'll see you outside." And the current pulled him into the dark.

Itachi pulled back against the current, making sure he didn't move too fast and got caught in the filter, whatever that may be. There was an ominous sound up ahead, which was similar to the clinking noise the thick chains made when an anchor was getting pulled up. The further he advanced the louder the noise got. There was no air in the pipe, if a human got trapped in here they would surely die. The walls around him were slimy and he couldn't get a good grip, the darkness was pressing down on him and he could do nothing but let himself get pulled deeper and deeper into it. There were holes in the pipe, more water flowed into it from there, and Itachi wondered if were more tanks like the one he'd been residing in for a very short period of time. Eventually there was a split in the pipe and he felt himself getting caught in another current, which pulled him up fast, the sound of the filter was deafening now. With all the strength he could muster Itachi tried to swim against the current, down into the pipe leading outside, but couldn't. In the rush of the moment he completely forgot how useless his tail had become, he only had half a working fin while the other was still folded up and nailed to his tail.

While making himself as small as possible as to not give the current too much grip on him he peeled away all the bandages covering his tailfin and he slowly unfolded the thin piece of skin. The painkillers had worn off a while ago, but he bit through the pain and dove into the pipe, swishing his tail with all his might. He slowly made progress, but the further he got from that horrid sound the more painful it became go carry on. He swam as if and because his life depended on it, grabbing on to all the holes in the sides of the pipe and pulling himself along. After a while he couldn't hear the filter anymore, and at the periphery of his vision something blurry appeared; a small round fleck of light. He was nearing the end.

It felt like it had taken an eternity, but through all the pain and his tired, hazed mind he found the strength to push on for the final bit, and reached… another roster. It was bolted shut from the outside and the holes in it were too small for his fingers to fit through. "No…" He pushed against the unyielding metal, only to fling himself back into the streaming water and having to struggle back to the light. He tried to hold on to some plants but they were too slippery, he lost the forward momentum his tail granted him, and slowly started to get sucked away. Where was Kisame? He was supposed to be waiting for him… could it be… that the man abandoned him? Left him here to die so he himself could get away? He was so tired, so very, very tired. He tried to stay by the roster, to have faith. But every once in a while everything suddenly became black, and when he came to he'd slipped further away and had to struggle back to the open water. "Kisame!" he called out, maybe the sharkman just couldn't find him? "Kisame! Kisa…" something big blocked the roster and he slipped away into darkness again. He felt the slick algae move across his stomach while he got sucked down, and a loud sound of tearing metal sounded impossibly far away.

And then his arm was grabbed in a steel grip and he was pulled out of that hellish current, into the calm and bright water of the lake. Itachi took deep breaths and rested his head against a sturdy yet somehow soft and welcoming surface. Someone was touching his tail and the pain that kept shooting up his spine with every movement of the damn appendage suddenly disappeared. He opened his eyes, feeling drowsy, and looked up at the deadly creature that was holding him. "You came…" Kisame chuckled. "Well I said we'd meet back here, didn't I? It'd be bad sport to let you get ground up into fishfood." Itachi tried to smile, but the threat had been too real for him to be able to laugh about just yet. He looked back at the hole he came from, the roster had been ripped in two. Suddenly he felt incredibly weak and useless.

He turned back around and buried his face in the other's chest in shame. "You always have to save me." He murmured, and Kisame wrapped his arms around the prince who had somehow become his charge again. "I knew about all the threats they made in the palace, all the assassins and kidnappers. Even that last day when you left I knew you'd come to save me." He sighed shakily and dared to wrap his arms around his big protector. He was so warm. "But what was I supposed to do? I was so scared… how was I supposed to react to knowing that my own _father_ wanted to have me dead? And now this. I'm completely useless, you should just leave me behind." "Is that what you want?" Kisame asked him, while using one hand to pull the other's long hair back and tilt his face towards him. "Do you really want me to leave you?" Itachi looked up at him with those big, black eyes and Kisame already knew that no matter what the younger one's answer would be, he'd stick by his side.

Itachi wanted to say yes, to tell the man to bugger off and forget about him. He didn't want to hold him back, and he knew that whatever happened, as long as they were together he'd be a burden. But he couldn't, not now that his stupidly boyish crush had finally become something real, not now that the man not only answered his feelings, but had acted on them as well. He didn't want their first kiss to be their last, no matter that it was the right thing to do. "No." He answered. "I don't want you to go, but it would be better for you." Kisame smiled. Not the millions of teeth kind of grin, but an actual smile. "I'm glad to hear that. I enjoy having you around, Uchiha. When you're not there you keep bugging my head and it's really annoying. Besides, life is a lot more interesting when you're around to fuck everything up and I have to sweep in like the handsome hero I am to save you!"

Kisame looked around for a bit while Itachi tried to compose himself, grinning like an idiot was _not_ princely at all, and he was still royalty dammit! "We need to move, though. By now they probably know that we're gone, so they'll come looking." "But… I can't swim anymore." Itachi's good mood was dampened, exactly how much of a burden would the man allow him to be before he's had enough?" Kisame, however, simply hoisted the other up so their faces were equally high, and pulled Itachi's arms around his neck. He then pulled the smaller body close to his own and tightly wrapped his arms around him, causing the other to sweetly blush. "I've tugged around dinner heavier than you, I think I'll manage. And hey, Itachi?" Itachi, who was once again very busy willing the redness in his face to go away looked up. "Yeah?" Kisame kissed him. "Y-you can't just do that!" The prince sputtered, his heart was again pounding so fiercely he was afraid the man would hear it. "Do you not want me to?" Kisame decided he absolutely loved messing with the other's composure, Itachi was just too cute when he was all dishevelled and upset.

"You really piss me off, you know?" he whispered, and gingerly pressed his lips against the other's, who was grinning that stupid grin. "Yeah I know, but do you mind if we keep the making out to a minimum for now? We gotta go." Itachi nearly chocked, "YOU were the one who-" before he was able to finish his accusations the chuckling sharkman took off with a speed Itachi never even knew was possible. He had no idea how the man knew where he was going, everything around them turned into a blur, and he felt nauseous. After a while of going at a steady speed far beyond Itachi's comfort level he figured out that the best way to keep from puking was to keep his face pressed into the other's neck and not move at all. Aside from the occasional twist and turn, in which he lost his grip on the other _every time_, and was left hanging nearly folded in half by the force of the water in the man's vice-like grip, it almost felt like they were going at a normal pace. And then suddenly something happened, the fresh water of the lake, which clogged up his nose and tasted like rotting fish was replaced by the sweet, salt taste of the ocean. Kisame made another turn, this time holding one hand at the back of his charge's head so he wouldn't fall off, and stopped.

"We're far enough now, I figured you'd like this spot. Wanna rest?" Kisame released him and sank to the seabed below them. Itachi followed suit, staring until it almost seemed as if his eyes would fall out. The coral reef he was staying at before seemed like a patch of seaweed compared to this place; there were kinds of coral he'd never even seen or heard of before, in every colour one could imagine. The weeds were high and soft, and the reef stretched as far as the eye could see. "Kisame, how do you know of this place?" he finally asked, after making his way to the other's side. Kisame shrugged. "Dunno, just happened to come across it." While the sharkman bustled off doing whatever Itachi discovered that the reef was filled with all kinds of living things, some urchins and shrimp, but actual fish also. "Why don't they swim away?" Kisame dumped his armful of soft seaweed into a shallow crevice and looked over to Itachi, who was _petting_ a large fish.

"We're not their natural predators, they never learned to fear us or anything like us." "So no fishmen have ever been here?" "Nope." Somehow the idea of being the first to find such a place elated him, and when Kisame called him over to the makeshift… something, Itachi felt a bit giddy. But the bubbly feeling in his stomach quickly turned to nervousness when the large man nestled himself in the crevice and held his arms out towards him. Itachi decided to sit down at the edge instead. "So how did you know?" He asked after a while, and Kisame, who was not pleased with having his cuddles rejected, replied with a cranky "Hm?" "How did you know about the pipes, and how did you get out?" The other grinned. "I'll tell you… when you come over here."

Having no other choice Itachi carefully slipped into the man's arms, who greeted him with that was probably supposed to be a winning smile, but looked more like a predatorily grin. But he didn't do anything, and after a while of just lying there and having one big hand slowly rubbing up and down his back Itachi let out a deep sigh. From the moment he left home he'd been on edge, not trusting anyone, afraid of every dark spot around him and every foreign noise. But now he felt more safe than he ever had, Kisame would protect him from anything, he was sure of it. So he slowly turned around until they were lying next to eachother, staring up at the surface that seemed much closer than it really was. Kisame's arm was functioning as his pillow and he felt nice and warm. The voice that suddenly started up startled him.  
"I was there for a while before they threw you in my tank, and at night I would leave the tank. All tanks are open at the top for feeding purposes, so I'd just lift myself over the edge and explore. One time there was a map of the filtering system, and I studied it in case I could get out that way, but I didn't fit through the hole. That's how I knew where you should go. And I'm pretty strong, so I managed to climb out of our tank and just use my arms to pull myself to a door and over the ground outside till I got to the lake."

"I see." Itachi turned away from the quickly darkening waters and towards his blue companion. He didn't know why, but he lifted his hand and gently started tracing the deep, white scars on the other's face, then down to his neck and eventually, after a few deep breaths, his chest. Throughout the ordeal Kisame lay perfectly still, making sure not to disturb the other in whatever it was he was doing. Itachi looked up after a while to find dark eyes staring back at him, and he swallowed thickly. What exactly had he been doing? He was touching a man, and didn't want to stop. The thought of him being in love with another male, of another species even, didn't faze him as much as he thought it would. Maybe it was because Kisame was just so accepting of him, of their situation. Or maybe it was because society had cussed and spit him out so much already that he just couldn't find it in him to care.

Either way, the situation was what it was, and in all honesty he didn't mind. Just like he wouldn't mind it if Kisame were to decide to kiss him again, or hold him down, or do… whatever else it was that would be done in such a situation. He blushed deeply at the memory of the man pushing him down, growling how he would fuck him, and he blushed even deeper at the fact that no matter how much he might have resisted, there was a part of him, a small part he wasn't quite ready to accept yet, that wouldn't have minded. But he couldn't possibly tell him all that, so instead he just turned his face into the other's neck and pressed his lips to the blue skin. He could feel the pulse hidden underneath speeding up, and before he realised what happened he was flipped on his back with a large body on top of him and a mouth moving hungrily against his own.

Immediately his mind left him, and a sensation swept through him that left him woozy and unable to speak. "Itachi. Look at me." Kisame's voice spoke to him from beyond his pleasure filled mind, he didn't want to look, he wanted to feel like that again. so he linked his arms around the thick neck and pulled the other down on him again. That mouth was on him again, and the fingers that were running down his side set his skin on fire. When the other pulled away again he held on and let himself get pulled along. "Itachi, listen to me." "More…" The word left his throat against his will, and Kisame groaned and pressed his face into the other's neck. "You're making it _really_ hard for me to be the good guy here, Uchiha. Just answer me this:" Itachi blinked a few times and tried to listen. "I'm a very possessive man. Once I've made you mine I will not ever let you go… you up for that?" the younger of the two stared up at him, to belong to Kisame, to be his… he smiled. "Yeah, Kisame, please make me yours?" The blue man's face split into a massive grin. "It'd be my pleasure."


End file.
